Automatic gun.



F. SCHMIDT.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION rum 00120; 1911.

Patented July 2:5, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET lv v/wlssses F. SCHMIDT.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 20, 1911.

Patented July 23, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

T E W N Z; I MW- F. SCHMIDT.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED 001.20.1911.

Patentd July 23,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MTNJESSES UNITEDISTATES PATENT OFFICE..-

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- CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

Specification aims mm p t nt gg, 191

Application-filed October 20,19 8? Serial No. 655,709.

.To all whom it rriay concern Be it known that I, Fnaxz fic-nltnrr, a

subject of the German Emperor, residing at 3 Ziilicherstrasse, Duseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Guns; and I do hereby declare the. following to be a full,clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a'This invention relates to a .device for mi: tomatically opening andclosing the-breech of a gun having a recoiling barrel with aid of aspring compressed during therecoil.

According to the invention there is ariiinged in a sleeve a rod whichrecoils together with the barrel and compresses the spring: when thebarrel runs forward again the rod comes against a fixed stop whereby thebreech is opened, and as the forward movement continues a second springis compressed, whereupon the springs after a catch. which engagestheibreech in the open position, has been released, close the breech andreturn the rod into its normal position.

In the accompanying drawing one form of construction according to theinvention is shown in Figure 1 n side elevation. Fig.

which engage in corresponding notches of 8- :2 is a plan partly insection and shows in full lines the position of the parts at thebeginning of therecoil and iii dotted lines their position when thebreech is opened."- Fig. 3 is a plan partly in section showing Fig. 3:at this moment the pins d of ,the

tlie'parts in the position they have at the but before the breechis'closed.

The crank a of the breech block, which in this example is of the wedgetype, is com I nected by a removable bolt 6 with the device forautomatically opening and closing the breech. Then the bolt 6 is removedthe breech can be opened and closed in the usual manner by hand.

The device which is connected with the crank 11 by the bolt consists ofa body which turns on a vertical pin 2 carried at one side of thecradle: the body comprises a sleeve or tube r, a draw bar 8 containedtherein and connected to the bolt b. and a rod p guided in the sleeve bv a sliding head 1. Between the head g and the end of the sleeve r is aclosing spring f and between the rod 7 and a shoulder in the draw bar 3is a spring f. 'hen the barrel recoils. the draw bar a being connectedwith the crank a ward the breech is opened and at this mothe breechblock. p p 4 During the continued forward movement;

-carries-with it the rod p andthe sliding head g to which thelattenisscrewedpthe closing spring 7" is thus compressed.

On the cradle are two laterally projectingguide plates e which, as shownin Fig. '1, converge toward each other in the rearward direction; thesliding head g is able to pass between these plates as it movesrearwardly because its upwardly and downwardly projecting spring pins 11are pressed inwardly 5 bv the guides. During the recoil therefore inothing further happens than thecoinpression of the closing spring f bythe rearward movement of the-sliding head'g in the sleeve r. In thereturn -movement the pins. d strike against the rear edges of the'guidese, whereby the sliding head g and the draw bar-s'-.are arrestedand the strength of the spring f is such that the pin'b is swung outwardinstead of the draw bar-straveling farther-and conipreing the spring f.The

parts now. have the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. '2. As thecrank a swingsout-- merit ,a cartridge casing is automatically ejectedin the known manners; In the open I position the breech block is held by.one;or more projections h of the ejector k (Fig;"3).

of the barrel the spring j is comp so that the parts assume the positionshownin' sliding head 9 are at the end of the suitably curved forwardedge of the guides e and are able to pass in front of the guides. Thepresure of spring 1' drivesthe sliding head 9 with the attached rodforward until the stop on the rear end of the rod 1); abuts againstshoulders in the draw bars; The closing spring f is still compressed andthe sliding head 9 cannot return to its normal p sition insleeve rbecausethe breech is Still opened. The introduction o f a new 9cartridge disengages the projections k of the ejector from the breechblock in the known manner and the closing spring, I closes the breech.all the. parts returning again into the position shown iii full linesThe hand cahnot be damaged while inserting the cartridge because theinner edge of the cartridge borein the breech block isinclined and thehand is guided tiutwa rd lateraily by thispart. In-

gaccuracies in recoil and return are without effect on the action ofthis arrangement because the stop pins (1 have already passed,

during the return" through a certain distance does not affect theautomatic closure of the 'justed that even in the breech is 0 springautomatically closing 7 the breech-' 'breech. Furthermore the spring fhas the considerable. advantage that when the sleeve sticks orth'ebreech mechanism corrodes and becomes very'difiicult to open or cannotbe opened, the concussion of the forward movementis not exerted onthe'parts of the opener, but compresses the spring. The length of thespring or its tension is so adthe most unfavorable case, that is to'saywhen the breech during the forward movement of the barrel does not openfor the above reasons, the spring allows of the compression which isequal to the path through which the stop pins have moved duringtherecoil before passing between the guides.

I claim as my invention 1'- 1. In a gun, inico'mbination with arecoiling barrel and a breech-block therefor, a device for automaticallyopening and clos- "ing the breech, comprlslng' a casing secured to arelatively fixed part, a rod movable in said casing and connected tosaid breechblock, a spring designed to be placed under I tension whentherod recoils with the 'bar rel and breech-block, amember carried bysaid rod, a fixed stop which is designed to arrest said rod and memberduring the return movement of the barrel, such .arrest initiating theopening of the breech which is completed at the termination of thereturn movement of the barrel, said member, as the breech is opened,being disengaged from said stop, and a second spring for moving saidmember beyond said stop when ened, the first mentioned block andreturning the rod and said member to their normal'positions when the gunis reloaded.

2. In a gun, in combination with a recoiling 'barrel'and a breech blocktherefor, a device for automatically opening and closing the breech,comprising a casing secured to a'relatively fixed part, a rod movable insaid casing-and connected to said breech block, a spring designed to beplaced under tension when the rod rccoils with the barrel and breechblock, a member carried by fixedfstop which is designed to arrest saldrod and member during the return movement of the barrel, such arrestinitiating the opening of the breech which is completed at thetermination of the return movement of the barrel, said member, as thebreech is opened, being disengaged from said stop, a second spring formoving block,

said inmb ei' beyond said step when the breech is opened, and -means forholding said breech block in its opened position, the first mentionedspring automatically closing thebreech block andireturningthe rod andsaid member to their normal positions when the breech block is freed ofsaid holding means. I

3. ,In a gun, the combination witha re coiling barrel, and a breechblock therefor, of a casing pivoted ,at its forward end to a relativelyfixed portion of the gun, a rod movable longitudinally in said casingand connected at its rear end to the breech block, a head slidablyconnected to said rod. and having a projection extending outside thecasing, a spring within said casing designed to be placed under tensionby said head when the rod is-moved by the recoil of thebarrel, a stopmounted on a relatively fixed portion of the gun and designed to arrestsaid-ihead when moved barrel, said rod thereby opening the breech and asecond spring interposed between the head and'said'rod for moving theformer past said step when the casing is swung on its pivot by theopening movement of tioned spring closing the breech block and returningthe rod and head to their normal positions. A

4. In a gun, thecombination with a recoiling barrel, and a breech blocktherefor, of a casing pivoted at its forward end to a relatively fixedportion of the gun, a-rod movable longitudinally in said casing andconnected at its rear end to the breech block, a head slidably connectedto said rod and having a projection extending outside the casing, aspring within said casing designed to be placedunder tension by saidhead when the rodis-movedby the recoil of the barrel, astop mounted on arelatively fixed portion of the gun and designed to arrest said headwhen moved forwardly by the return of the barrel, said rod therebyopen-' ing the breech block, means for holding said breech block in itsopened position, and a second spring interposed between the head andsaid rod for moving the former past said step when the casing is swungon its pivot by the opening movement of the breech block, the firstmentioned spring closing the breech block and returning the rod and headto their normal positions when movable longitudinally in said casing andconnected at its rear end to the breech block, a spring designed to beplaced under tension when the rod rccoils with the barrel and forwardlyby the return of the 123 the breech block is freed'of said holding stopwith which said lug engages in the return movement of the barrel, and asecond sprin interposed between said rods, said secon spring beingplaced under tension when said stop arrests said lug, said second springmoving said lug beyond said stop when the casing is swung outwardly bythe openin of the breech when the lug is arrested y said stop.

6. In a gun, the combination with a recoiling barrel, and a breech blocktherefor, of a casing pivoted at its forward end to a relatively fixedportion of the gun, said casing-having slots'fherein, a hollow rodwithin said casing connected at its rear end to the breech block, asecond rod located within and movable with and relatively to the hollowrod, said second rod having a shoulder and said hollow rod a stop whichengages said shoulder, a head carried by said second rod,spring-impelled lugs carried by said head and projecting through saidslots, a stop in the form of two convergingly-arranged plates mounted ona relatively fixed portion of the gun and between which said lugs aredesigned to pass during the recoil of the barrel, a spring acting onsaid hollow rod and placed under tension during the recoil, a secondspring interposed between said rods and designed to be placed undertension when said second rod is arrested by said stop on the return ofthe barrel, thereby opening the breech block and causing said casing toswing outwardly TO permit said lugs to clear said stop. said secondspring serving to position said lugs beyond said stop, and means forholding the breech block in its opened position, the first mentionedspring serving to return the parts to their normal positions and closesaid breech block when the latter is free of said holding means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

FRANZ SCHMIDT. [L. 5.] Witnesses:

ALBERT NUFER, L. NUFER.

